To fight the Evil Eye curse or simply to bring luck into your life you need a Corno, aka Cornetto, Cornicello, Cuorniciello amulet. The horn-shaped charm – today made of gold, silver, bone or red coral – has been bringing luck to Italians since prehistoric times, when people hanged horns outside their huts. Horns were used in so many ways aside from being displayed as hunting trophies or as decorative objects; they were tools, weapons, drinking vessels, musical instruments, and somehow they symbolized power (the strength of the animal) and fertility (phallic shape).

Fertility was crucial 5,000 years ago, and it did not mean just having babies but to hope for fertile land, fertile animals, the renewal of life in nature, what kept them alive.

Now: how did we get to the red twisted horn? Superstitious people inform us that it works only if it is handmade and red, don’t waste money on the plastic ones. The reason why it should be handmade is because all amulets should be handmade, they acquire the beneficial powers from the people who made them. So they say.

They also say that the color of choice comes from medieval superstitions, when red symbolized victory over enemies, but 3,000 years before, in ancient Egypt, red was already associated with life, health, and victory. So much so, Egyptians would color themselves with red ochre during celebrations.